EVALUATION OF QUALITY ATTRIBUTES OF FRESH-CUT LETTUCE STORED AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES

This study was performed in an effort to standardize the quality of fresh-cut products. The quality of fresh-cut lettuce samples was measured at three storage temperatures: 5, 10 and 20°C. Sensory quality evaluations revealed the following: produce stored at 20°C lost its marketability in less than one day; produce stored at 10°C lost its marketability in less than two days; by contrast, produce stored at 5°C maintained its marketability for six days. At these points, browning started to occur around cut areas, and increased gradually once it began. Vitamin C content decreased with storage time; storage at 5°C maintained vitamin content best. The data were used to establish objective measures of quality for fresh-cut products.